Multi-media presentations performed with video projection equipment have become very common for business and entertainment purposes. Often, the video projection equipment is a portable LCD projector that is placed on a table, cart, or stand in the room, with the image projected on a portion of the wall or a portable screen. Such impromptu arrangements, however, have a number of drawbacks. First, a considerable amount of time is often needed to position, aim, and focus the projector in advance of the presentation—time that is expended repeatedly whenever a different projector is set up. Further, it is often difficult to position a portable projector where it is not in the way of persons moving about in the room, or in the line of sight for those viewing the presentation. Moreover, the wires and cables used to connect the projector with the computer are in the open at ground level, presenting a tripping hazard and an opportunity for damage to the projector if someone comes in contact with the wires and cables.
In view of these many drawbacks of portable projectors, mounting devices have been developed to enable mounting of a projection device from the ceiling of a presentation room. Such devices have generally been successful in alleviating some of the problems associated with a projector at ground level having exposed wires.
A challenge associated with ceiling mounts, however, is in how to attach the mount to the ceiling. Suspended ceilings, consisting of a framework suspended from a floor or roof assembly and holding a multiplicity of tiles, is a very common finished ceiling arrangement in commercial construction. The ceiling tiles themselves are typically made from fibrous material and do not have sufficient structural strength to support the dead load of a heavy projector or other device coupled with a mount. Further, it is required in many regions that the mount and interface withstand seismic loads of a specified magnitude. Standard ceiling tiles are unable to meet these seismic load requirements while supporting a device and associated mount.
For these reasons, mounts are often attached directly to the deck or structural frame of the roof or floor assembly above. A drawback of direct attachment, however, is that device location within the room is then limited to locations where structure, such as a bar joist or beam exists to attach the mount. Alternatively, the mount may be permanently attached to the deck. In either case, however, subsequent relocation of the device within the room can be difficult and expensive.
As an alternative to direct attachment, interfaces have been developed to enable attachment of a mount to the suspended ceiling framework. These existing devices typically include a plate that spans adjacent members of the framework. The plate defines a series of apertures that receive fasteners to attach a mount to the plate. The plate is typically concealed above a ceiling tile for aesthetic reasons. A drawback of such devices, however, is that location of the mount on the plate is limited by the finite locations of the apertures. Moreover, the concealing ceiling tile must be cut to fit during installation, requiring skill and increasing the time for installation. Further, such devices typically have no provision for routing the electrical wires and cables associated with the device to be mounted, thus requiring a separate interface to be provided for these.
Another difficulty faced with existing ceiling projector mount solutions is that of aiming and focusing the projector. Customers purchasing high-end built-in video projection systems may expect that the system will produce a projected image that precisely fits the screen and that has very sharp focus. It may be necessary to adjust the position of the projector laterally as well as fore and aft multiple times in order to determine an optimal position. With existing mount systems, however, repositioning the projector multiple times can be laborious, time consuming and costly.
What is needed in the industry is a mount interface for a suspended ceiling that reduces the time and skill needed for installation, and enables simple relocation and positioning of the device within the room and relative to the projection screen